AirAsia Berhad posted MYR877m ($222.3m) in Q1 2016 net income, a nearly six-fold increase year-over-year. AirAsia Berhad CEO Aireen Omar said the results were due to a positive momentum driven by low fares and a resulting sustained increase in the number of passengers. Revenue rose 31% year-over-year (YOY) to MYR1.7b, producing an operating profit of RM521.14m, more than doubling AirAsia’s Q1 2015 operating income. Passenger traffic rose 17% YOY to 6.48m passengers in the quarter. AirAsia’s traffic for the quarter was up 26% YOY to 8.56b RPKs; capacity grew 12% YOY to 10.07b ASKs. The airline’s Q1 load factor was 85%, up 10 points YOY. Revenue per available seat-kilometer (RASK) rose 17% compared to the corresponding quarter in 2015, to MYR0.17. “The positive momentum we have seen for our Malaysian operations has continued well into the current quarter. Our improved RASK proved that low fares stimulate the market,” Omar said.<br/>
unaligned
A teenage boy sneaked into the cargo hold of an Emirates passenger plane in China and made it all the way to Dubai before being apprehended, the airline and Chinese media said Tuesday. The Dubai-based airline, the Middle East's biggest, said the stowaway was found in the cargo hold of Flight EK303 from Shanghai on Friday, May 27. "We are cooperating fully with authorities in Dubai and as this is a police matter we are unable to comment further at this time," the airline said. It did not give any details on the identity or condition of the stowaway, though China's official Xinhua News Agency said he was a 16-year-old boy it identified only by his surname, Xu. He tried to make the risky journey because he had heard that beggars in Dubai could earn hundreds of thousands of yuan annually, the news agency reported. Xinhua reported that the consulate has sent staffers to the airport to learn more about the situation. A translator appointed by prosecutors said the teen jumped over a fence at the Shanghai airport and climbed into the cargo hold while a security guard looked away, the agency said.<br/>